County council President Mark Manship and Lana Sullivan, president of the county commissioners, met with representatives from the Indiana Department of Transportation last Thursday (Dec. 10) seeking answers for the delay of the bypass project in Salem.
Work on the project was expected to begin in the coming months and local officials recently learned that the project start date had been pushed to 2017.
In the meeting, Sullivan and Manship were told that the actual new start date is 2015.
Sullivan was glad she got answers, but admits to being frustrated with the recent turn of events.
“It's very easy to get discouraged, but because of the work that has been put into this project, I refuse to believe it's not going to happen,” she said. “The amount of money that we've paid and the work we've put in on a local level, I'm not going to say it's not going to happen.
“If I give up, what about everybody else? There are a lot of non-believers out there anyway, and rightfully so, but I am not going to give up because that will give everyone else the right to give up.”

Washington County is not any closer to having permanent ambulance service following the commissioners' meeting Tuesday.
The commissioners were expecting representatives from Knox and Switzerland counties as well as Columbus to present proposals, but only Switzerland County was present.
Switzerland County EMS Director Randy See gave the commissioners a figure of $330,000 to help Washington County until its own organization, which would provide EMS service could be formed.
See said establishing a non-profit EMS service in Washington County shouldn't take longer than three months, but should it tale longer Switzerland County was willing to be here for up to six months.
One of the delays in starting a local group is that it takes up to three months to be reimbursed by insurance organizations and Medicare. Until that reimbursement the county would be required to foot that entire bill while waiting to recover some of that money.

County coroner is no longer allowed to use WCMH has a holding facility

Written by George Browning

Thursday, 10 December 2009 00:00

Washington County Memorial Hospital's pending bankruptcy is affecting more than just the local ambulance service. Washington County Coroner Rondale Brishaber and the coroner's office is also feeling the pinch.
Brishaber and deputy coroner Steve Garloch attended the county commissioner's meeting Dec. 8 to inform them that due to the hospital's situation, there is no longer a place locally to take bodies.
Garloch told commissioners that the county is no longer permitted to take bodies to WCMH as a holding facility.
That's something local officials expected might happen after the hospital's bankruptcy is complete, but they weren't ready for it with three weeks remaining in 2009.

Ronald Lee Chastain Jr., 36, was found dead in a home on Old State Road 56 (near Salem), Dec. 8, the victim of an apparent robbery attempt gone bad.
According to a press release by the Indiana State Police, the incident happened at approximately 9:14 p.m. and when officers arrived on the scene they discovered Chastain's body.
Wave3.com reported Wednesday afternoon (Dec. 9) that state police told them the altercation was the result of an apparent robbery.
During the investigation officers also discovered that another white male, 5’10” to 6’ tall, wearing what appeared to be a black and white colored homemade mask on his face fled the home during the altercation.
Police are still looking for the second subject and although it is unknown if he is armed, he should be considered dangerous.
Anyone seeing a person matching the description of this second individual should dial 911 immediately and give the location where he was last seen.
The homeowner, whose name was not released, sustained minor injuries during the altercation.
According to the Wave3.com report, the homeowner told investigators that a man knocked on the door asking to use the phone. As that man came inside, the report said, another man wearing a mask entered and the homeowner retrieved a gun and shot the first man.
Washington County Coroner Rondale Brishaber said the time of Chastain's death was not known.
He said the agency that reported the death was the Washington County Sheriff's Department and his office certified Chastain's death certificate.
The Indiana State Police has ordered an autopsy, which was performed in the Jefferson County Medical Examiner's office in Louisville Wednesday.
Brishaber said the death has been ruled a homicide and the cause of death is a gun shot wound.
The case is still being investigated by the Washington County Coroner's Office, the Washington County Sheriff's Department and the Indiana State Police.

Last Updated on Wednesday, 09 December 2009 13:43

Camm to face trial for a third time

Written by Administrator

Wednesday, 09 December 2009 00:00

David Camm will go to trial for the third time for the alleged September 28, 2000 murders of daughter Jill (5), son Brad (7), and wife Kimberly Camm.
Floyd County Prosecutor Keith Henderson made the announcement last week.
The need for a third trial is due to the fact that the first two convictions were thrown out.
The most recent trial was in 2006 and had to be moved to Warrick County because of the amount of attention the case has received locally.
A Warrick County jury found Camm guilty in the 2006 trial, but that ruling was thrown out by the Indiana Supreme Court in July of this year because the prosecution introduced evidence that Camm allegedly molested his daughter.
The supreme court ruled that there was no evidence connecting Camm to the alleged molestation.
Henderson said that he had spent many months considering all of the factors and evidence involved, and with the support of the Kim's (Renn) Family, he has decided that the State must re-try Camm for what he called the sake of justice.